Joan Walsh, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation, is a coproducer of The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show and the author of What’s the Matter With White People? Finding ...

Depending on how you look at them, the tendrils seemingly growing from Joan Clare Brown’s porcelain bases could be perceived as soft and delicate or spiny, defensive, and slightly unsettling.

How conscious of a choice has that been, not working as much? Joan Allen: Very conscious. It’s not like I have a ton of things being offered to me, but I’m very selective about what I will do ...